Introduction
William Bruce Hale (August 30, 1918 – December 30, 1980) was an American professional basketball player and coach.
A 6'1" guard/forward from Medford, Oregon, Hale played college basketball at Santa Clara University, then played professionally in the early NBA as a member of the Indianapolis Jets, Fort Wayne Pistons, and Indianapolis Olympians. He averaged 9.1 points per game over his NBA career. He later held coaching positions with the University of Miami, the Oakland Oaks of the American Basketball Association, and St. Mary's College of California. Before he died of a heart attack in 1980, he had been working as a marketing director at the KNBR radio station.
Hale's daughter, Pam, married basketball player Rick Barry, who played for Hale at the University of Miami.
Hale was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
BAA/NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | RPG | Rebounds per game | ||
| APG | Assists per game | PPG | Points per game | ||
| Bold | Career high | ||||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Indianapolis | 18 | .329 | .761 | – | 3.8 | 12.6 |
| 1948–49 | Fort Wayne | 34 | .313 | .750 | – | 2.6 | 9.4 |
| 1949–50 | Indianapolis | 64 | .353 | .782 | – | 3.5 | 10.3 |
| 1950–51 | Indianapolis | 26 | .396 | .609 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 3.6 |
| Career | 152 | .333 | .763 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 9.1 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Indianapolis | 6 | .350 | .882 | – | 2.8 | 7.2 |
| 1951 | Indianapolis | 1 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 7 | .350 | .882 | .0 | 2.4 | 6.1 | |